With You
by FettsOnTop
Summary: Dyrk likes him. Luke doesn't know what he likes or wants. Maybe it's time to find out.
1. Chapter 1

_Author's Note: This story takes place during my fic Meeting Like This, which is an AU with a Fett/Leia pairing where Leia becomes the Senate representative for the Mandalore system. That's all you really need to know to read this, but if you want an introduction to Luke/Dyrk, you might consider reading Days and Nights as well._

 _Comments and feedback are very much appreciated._

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The Spaceport Rents was a low, dark hotel near the docking bays on the 3rd quadrant of Vulpter. Luke passed several patrons in the narrow hallway, but not one of them looked at his face. It was that kind of place.

He stopped outside of room 211. There was a scrap of flimsy on the door that read "let yourself in." That made Luke smile, because the door was locked.

It only took him a few seconds to work through the mechanism using the Force. On the other side of the door was an ordinary hotel room, a basic, stripped down version of the luxury suite where his sister was staying on Basilisk. The bed was in the center of the room, with the fresher off to one side. The shower was running. He sat down in a worn armchair facing the bed and waited.

Luke hadn't seen Dyrk Veet since they spent several days stranded on Tanaab and the Mandalorian mercenary made it abundantly clear that he wanted to sleep with him. To his credit, he took "no" for an answer, and they parted on friendly terms.

Luke was surprised, but not displeased when he was preparing to depart from Basilisk and a message with Dyrk's ID popped up on his commlink.

 _Watching the 'net and thought you might be in the area. Room 211 at the Spaceport Rents if you want to stop by._

Luke looked around the small room, taking in the dirty boots on the floor and the indent in the blankets where their owner sat on the bed to remove them.

The shower turned off, and Luke's hands moved restlessly over his knees. Why was he nervous? He closed his eyes for a second, drawing on the Force to calm and center him.

The small room faded away. He could feel the people in the hallway going about their business. Some were angry. Some were sad. Some were guilty.

It was that kind of a place.

It wasn't hard to find Dyrk, who was none of those things. His presence had a solidness to it, a contentment that didn't yield easily to stronger emotions. He was happy, pleased by the prospect of seeing Luke.

And a little nervous.

But not a trace of that nervousness showed when the young Mandalorian walked out of the 'fresher. "Jedi!"

Luke hadn't realized how much he associated Dyrk with his armor. Seeing him in a casual shirt and pants felt strangely...intimate. "How are you?" Dyrk asked, extending his hand with a warm grin. Little droplets of water still clung to his close cut hair and beard. Luke quickly stood and shook his hand.

"I'm okay. You?"

"Better, now that you're here." Dyrk sat down on the foot of the bed and gestured for Luke to reclaim his seat. "I've been watching the HoloNet since I got in. This business on Basilisk is crazy. Your sister's all right?"

"She's fine."

"Do they know who was behind the attack yet?"

"They have suspects." Luke paused and shook his head. "Leia doesn't seem that concerned by it. I'm not sure if that's good or bad."

"Huh. How about Fett? Did he seem concerned?"

Luke made a dismissive gesture. "I don't know how to tell."

"Fair enough."

"I don't even know why he was there. Leia told me it's over."

Dyrk's eyebrows rose briefly in surprise at this news. " _Osik_. I thought that was good for another year, at least."

" _Really_? Why?"

The Mandalorian paused, putting his thoughts together. "I don't know. When you go all out for something, you tend to hang on to it. Sometimes longer than you should."

"Maybe it was never that serious."

Dyrk shrugged and stood. "How long can you stay? I was just about to go out and get some food." He turned on the room's holoprojector and brought up a city map.

Luke looked down at his hands. "I'm in no hurry."

"Great. So how's the rest of the guard? New guy fitting in?"

"I guess." Luke couldn't actually remember which one was the new guard. Not the big one. Not the woman. "Seemed like business as usual. They argue a lot and refuse to call me anything other than 'Jedi.'"

Dyrk glanced up sheepishly through the projection. "I didn't know that bothered you. Sorry."

"It's okay. I don't mind when you do it."

His eyebrows raised slightly in response. "Yeah?"

"Yeah." Luke put his hands back on his knees, bracing himself. "I have to ask. Did you resign because of me?"

Dyrk didn't answer immediately, but Luke could sense the heaviness of his silence. There was something there. Some kind of guilt...or regret?

"It wasn't really about you, it was about my...conduct." Dyrk grimaced. "You could say I was strongly encouraged to resign."

"By Fett?"

"Yeah."

"He's gone now. I could talk to Leia."

Dyrk waved a hand and gave him a quick grin. "I appreciate it, but I'm not hurting for work. In fact, I just raked in a stack on a security job, so dinner is on me." He turned his attention back to the map. "What do you like to like to eat, Jedi?"


	2. Chapter 2

Luke wasn't sure how he got talked into this. He wanted to hear Leia's speech, but he didn't want to be a distraction on her big night, and somehow he ended up in a crowded tapcafe on Concordia, watching the live feed from Mandalore with a bunch of drunk and boisterous Mandalorians.

And Dyrk Veet.

"I told you this would be better than watching from a hotel room," Dyrk said as he returned with two fresh ales. "You can tell the senator she killed it."

"I thought the building was going to shake apart there for a minute." Mandalorian approval was issued with no small amount of noise and vibration. The reaction at the bonfires on Mandalore seemed to be just as uproarious, not that he could hear any of it in this noisy room.

The cameras hovered over the crowds, switching feeds often enough to give a sense of just how many Mandalorians were gathered to celebrate Remembrance Day. One of the cameras was following Leia, so every few minutes Luke saw her up close. She seemed to be having a good time.

"Isn't that Fett?" Dyrk indicated the screen. "What's he doing there?"

"I don't know."

The Mandalorian took a long drink from his glass, his eyes fixed on the feed. "You sure they're split up?"

"I'm sure. Why?"

"Gravitational pull. Look, there she goes...and there he goes."

Luke shook his head. "I talked to Leia this morning. She would have told me."

Dyrk's tone turned thoughtful. "Fenn Shysa hasn't been far from her side all night either. Don't get me wrong, your sister's a catch, but I wouldn't have thought she was the _Mand'alor_ 's type."

"She talks about him a lot."

Dyrk gave him a sly grin. "Well, you know what they say. Once you've gone Mando, you can never go back."

"You just made that up."

"Did not."

A man in blue armor stopped to slap Dyrk on the back and they exchanged a few words in _Mando'a_. Luke turned his attention to his ale, feeling a little self-conscious. Dyrk seemed to know everyone here. When the man left, he couldn't resist asking. "Do they think I'm here with you?"

"You are here with me."

"You know what I mean."

Dyrk shrugged. "I guess you could carry a sign that says 'Not Fucking Dyrk Veet.'"

He laughed a little at that. "It seems like...people don't really care here, do they?"

"No. Was it different, where you grew up?"

"A little. Anchorhead was pretty rural, and everyone that I knew paired up male and female. It wasn't taboo, but...when I was young there was a guy who left to live in Mos Eisley with another guy. People joked he couldn't find a wife, so he became one."

Dyrk's gloved fingers drummed briefly on the surface of the table. "So. Not a forbidden path. Just an inferior one."

"I remember trying to imagine two men together and the only way I could picture it was if one of the guys was wearing women's clothing. Like a frilly apron or something." Luke could feel heat rising up the back of his neck. He must sound like a backwards idiot. To his relief, Dyrk grinned at him.

"I wouldn't mind a man in a frilly apron, but it's not a requirement." He ran a hand over the rough stubble covering the lower half of his face. "In my village we had one female couple, but everyone else was male and female. About the time I was twelve I was beginning to realize that I didn't have the same interest in girls as my brothers and cousins, and so I came up with this theory that I was some kind of genetic mutation. There was a lot of biowarfare going on around the time I was born, I figured I could have been exposed to something. Then one day, I overhear my mom talking to one of her friends about a girl in the village getting married, and my mom's friend says, 'if all the women keep leaving, who's left for your sons to marry?' And my mom says 'I think Dyrk will probably marry a man anyway.' And it just hit me." He shook his head and sighed. "I love my family, but my parents were never good at the whole sex education thing."

Luke snorted. "My uncle's version of sex ed was to take me out on the Dune Sea during bantha mating season."

"Bantha? The big hairy beasts?"

Luke nodded emphatically. When Dyrk started laughing, he added. "I was _six_. I had nightmares. Aunt Beru was so mad at him…"

"Oh _osik._ What does that _look_ like?"

"It's not really how it looks, it's the sound. They make a lot of noise." Luke shuddered and reached for his ale.

Someone started singing, and Dyrk joined in, lifting his glass in unison with the others. Luke turned his attention back to the holofeed. He caught a glimpse of Fenn Shysa, but Leia was nowhere in sight. Neither was Fett.

"Leia doesn't change her mind," he said when the song ended. "If she says it's over, it's over."

Dyrk looked thoughtful for a moment, then leaned close so Luke could hear him. "You know what? I'm feeling very confident right now, so I'm going to make you a bet. Twenty creds says it's not over. They're back together in thirty days time."

"Only twenty creds?" Luke noted skeptically. "You can't be _that_ confident."

"My dad always said, 'never wager anything you're not prepared to lose.'" Dyrk grinned at him and leaned a little closer. "But I'm willing to make it interesting if you are."


	3. Chapter 3

"This conversation is over," Leia said, her voice low. "It's done."

Luke looked over her shoulder at the man in the hospital bed. He looked like he was sleeping. Scanners hummed as they circled the bed. His pulse was rock steady, his respiration light and even. But he wasn't asleep. Luke could feel the hard edges of his mind, the cool, almost mechanical slide of his thoughts.

Even without his armor, badly injured and arguably helpless, Boba Fett was still dangerous. He returned his attention to his sister, standing in front of the bed like a mother nexu protecting her young. "Where are you staying?"

"Here," she said, as if that were obvious. A rotating display over the bed cast a red light against one side of her face.

Luke found a hotel room a few blocks from the medical center. After about four hours of laying on his back on the bed, staring at the ceiling, he did the only thing he could think to do.

Wherever Dyrk was, it was clear _he'd_ been sleeping. He was blinking and his voice was rough as he answered Luke's call. "Everything all right, Jedi?"

He wasn't sure how to answer that. "She married him."

Dyrk stared at him in confusion for a few seconds, then started laughing.

"It's not a joke! She _married_ him."

"I'm sorry." His friend tried and failed to stop. "I'm sorry. I'm really sorry...Can I just say it?"

Luke crossed his arms over his chest and waited.

"I fucking _told you so_."

"Okay. You were right. Now what do I do?"

Dyrk shook his head. "You know the answer to that. There's nothing you can do."

"Easy for you to say," Luke grumbled.

"I'll give you that. Where are you right now?"

"Malastare."

Dyrk rubbed his face and looked at something to the left. "I'm only a day or so away. How about I come meet you? I know a place you can rent skyhoppers so stripped they make you sign a death waiver before you fly them."

"I can't ask you drop everything-"

"Here." Dyrk held out his empty hands, palm up. "Here's everything I'm dropping." He leaned back in his seat. Luke could see that he was in the cockpit of his ship now. "I'm in between jobs and could use a little fun. What do you say?"

It probably would be fun. And it would give him an excuse to stick around and keep an eye on Leia for a few days. "Sure. That sounds great."

"Right. I'll comm you with an ETA once I'm en route."

"Okay. Sorry for waking you up."

"Oh, don't worry about that. You can comm me anytime." Dyrk smirked at him. "Especially when you're calling to tell me I'm right."


	4. Chapter 4

" _Haar'chak_."

"Yeah," Luke agreed, wincing. His feet were on solid ground, but his legs were still feeling the skyhopper's violent vibrations. "Ouch. There's a bar. You want to get a drink?"

"Not yet. I need to move." Dyrk indicated a narrow pedestrian walkway that ran above the main street. "Let's go up there." The walkway skirted the third story of the buildings, giving them a good view of the crowds below.

The city seemed to reinvent itself at sunset. All of the workers and business people in their drab attire vanished, and vibrant throngs of beings began to fill the streets, flowing in and out of the brightly lit casinos and nightclubs.

"Can you read that sign?" Luke gestured and Dyrk stopped beside him, squinting a little.

"Maybe if I had my helmet. It's not Huttese?"

"No."

"Twi'lek show, maybe. What is it about twi'leks? Get a few that are reasonably good dancers and you can open a club and charge twice as much for drinks."

"I don't know." Luke checked his commlink, and caught Dyrk's questioning look. "I haven't heard from Leia since Fett was discharged from the Med Center. She said she was taking him somewhere quiet."

"She's probably busy. I'll bet he's not an easy patient."

Luke started walking again. "I feel like I pushed her too hard."

"You're her family. Someone in your family up and gets married all of the sudden, you have a right to be concerned."

"It's not just about that." He looked around, but they were passing beneath one of the overhangs, in a relatively private spot. "The Force is strong in Leia too. But she refuses to accept it, or learn about it, or use it." He gripped the railing tight and gazed unseeingly down at the crowds."The thing is, I think she has used it. I think she used it to save his life. And that scares me. Because if she uses the Force selfishly to achieve her own wants and desires, it could lead her to the dark side."

Dyrk considered that for a minute. "She used it to protect someone she loves. What's bad about that?"

"The Force is a powerful ally, but I can't just use it as I please. If I use it carelessly, without considering the consequences...I could cause a lot of damage."

Dyrk put his hand on the middle of Luke's back, rubbing it lightly. A comforting gesture, but not entirely an innocent one. He moved closer to Luke, and his hand slid down to his waist.

"You're...uh...you want to do this now?"

"I won," Dyrk reminded him. "I'm going to kiss you. I'm just trying to be smooth about it."

"This is smooth?"

"It's sunset and we're alone on a balcony. Sort of. Look, I'm doing the best I can." He moved closer, his brown eyes warm as he cupped Luke's cheek.

It was nothing like kissing a girl. The scruff on Dyrk's face, the hard angles of of his body pressed against Luke's...a strange and transfixing revelation.

" _Osik_ ," Dyrk muttered as he pulled back. "Moment of truth, Jedi."

"I don't..." Luke opened his eyes, struggling to find his footing in the rush of _feeling_ that surrounded him. He could feel hope and desire, lust and longing, but were they his feelings, or was he simply borrowing them?

"Hey," Dyrk said, a rough edge in his voice. "It's okay, Luke. You get points for trying. There's some lucky girl out there-"

"It's not that." The words were hard to say, but once spoken, Luke realized how true they were. "I...I told you how Leia and I were raised by different families, right?"

"Right…"

"We kissed once. Before we...knew."

Dyrk raised his eyebrows. " _Osik_."

"I thought I loved her. I wanted her to pick me over Han. But I never really thought beyond that. We kissed, but it wasn't like I wanted to…" He trailed off and winced self-consciously. "...Something that I am now extremely grateful for. What I'm trying to say is, the way you look at me, the feelings you have for me...I've never felt that way. About anyone, male or female."

Dyrk frowned. "You know you're allowed to pass. You don't have to do the whole 'it's not you,' thing."

"I'm not. It's not you. It's me." Luke looked away, trying to pull these newly formed thoughts together into some semblance of coherence. "You like me, but you also _want_ me. You want to have physical contact with me. You want to touch me. You want to kiss me. You want to…"

"I _want_ to get you against that wall, get on my knees and make you renounce your religion," Dyrk offered lightly. "For a start."

"I like you. I really enjoy being with you." Luke took a step back. "To be honest, I don't know exactly what I want yet, but...I don't think we want the same thing."

The Mandalorian looked down, his jaw tight. Luke could feel his disappointment, a hard lump in his throat that he didn't want to swallow. This was the right thing to do. He couldn't lead the other man on, no matter how much Luke was going miss his company.

"All right," Dyrk said abruptly. "I accept that you're not going to fuck me. What if I still want to be with you?"

Luke's chest tightened. "You deserve to be with someone-"

"Don't-" Dyrk cut him off, his voice nearly a growl. "Don't do that." He paused and took a deep breath. "Let's keep it simple. Say I'm by Coruscant in a few weeks. Should I comm you?"

"Sure, if you want to."

"Then we take it from there." He turned and gestured. "How about that place down there? I bet they don't overcharge for drinks."

Luke looked. "You probably get contamination poisoning for free. That's a real bargain."

"Picky, picky. How about there?"

"Sure. They might wash their glasses."

Dyrk pushed off the railing. "Right. Let's get blasted."


	5. Chapter 5

OK PEOPLE. My usual beta reader is busy with RL stuff and I'm too shy to find another one, so I'm going to go ahead with this story unbeta'd. You can help me by pm-ing me or pointing out any typos or weird stuff in a review. Thank you!

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He knew because he could sense it. He could sense it because Dyrk was trying to hide it. "You think I'll change my mind."

Dyrk stabbed the small dagger down into the _cu'bikad_ board. "All the men in the galaxy and I had to fall for the mind reader." He studied the board for a few seconds before his hand lifted off the hilt of the knife. "Yeah, all right, I think you might. But you might not. It's running about fifty-fifty in my head right now." He picked up another small knife by the tip and tossed it, catching the handle as it spiraled back down. "You said it yourself, you don't know what you want, and I'm willing to be your test subject. Your move."

Luke leaned back and looked at the chrono on the wall of his apartment. It was getting late. Or early, depending on your perspective. He reached for his ale as he returned his attention to the game, but the glass stopped halfway to his mouth. "You moved the eights."

"You took your eyes off the board."

Luke shook his head. The ale was dark and rich, with a hint of sweetness. "This is Concordian?"

"Very good, Jedi."

"It's nice. I think the one from Mandalore is still my favorite, though."

"Blasphemy." Dyrk rested his hand on the hilt of the dagger in the sevens spot. "Go."

Luke set down his glass slowly. Nines was open. Once the tip of his dagger left the board, Dyrk would try to take the same spot. It was a speed draw.

 _Feel the force…_

No. He didn't need to do that. "Wait a minute," he said, moving his hand towards his glass again. At the last second he veered off and went for his knife. Dyrk snatched his own up, but he was a split second behind Luke, who planted the dagger firmly on nines.

" _O-ya_ ," he said, imitating Dyrk's usual proclamation of victory.

The Mandalorian sat back on the couch and folded his arms over his chest. "Well, that's it. We have to break up."

"We do?"

A grin split his face, and he patted the couch cushion next to him. "No. Come over here." Luke abandoned his chair to join him, and Dyrk put his arm around his shoulders. "But I will need you to swear you'll never to tell anyone that an _auretti_ beat me twice in a row."

"I swear." Luke settled in beside him and stifled a yawn. "Sorry."

"I can head out, you know."

"Do you have a place to stay?"

"I'll find one. There's always rooms by the spaceport."

"You can stay here if you want."

"Yeah?"

"Sure. This couch is actually pretty comfortable." It wasn't anything that Dyrk indicated, but a flicker of emotion that he caught nonetheless. "Is that…"

"It's all right. I'll take the couch." Dyrk kissed the top of his head. "Your virtue is safe with me."

Luke could feel heat crawling into his cheeks. "It's not that I don't trust you."

"It's your bed and your call."

"But it bothers you."

Dyrk gave a half-shrug. "Lots of stuff bothers me. Sometimes you might have to turn off the Jedi thing and let it go."

"That's fair."

"That reminds me, I've got a question for you. When we were looking for your sister, you found her by seeing the same landmarks that she was seeing. How does that work? If I close my eyes and think about that wall sconce, you can look into my mind and see it?"

"Not unless you have really strong feelings about it."

Dyrk tilted his head to one side. "I don't care for it, but I can stand it."

"If you think about an object or a place that you have a strong emotional connection to, I might be able to pick up on that."

"All right, I'll play." Dyrk closed his eyes. "Where am I?"

Luke closed his eyes as well, took a deep breath and inhaled a sharp, woodsy scent. The air was cool and crisp, sunlight filtering down through the tops of tall trees. Between the slender trunks he could see a house and several outbuildings. A spiky-haired pet the size of a nerfling ambled around the side of a shed, sniffing at the ground. The correct word came to Luke immediately. A _strill_. It's name was Ne'tra.

"Home," he said, recognizing his own envy. He opened his eyes. "You're home."

Dyrk smiled at him. "You'd like it better than Coruscant. You're no city boy." He shifted, putting his back in the corner of the couch and reclining a little more. "Here, put your head here." He patted his chest, and Luke obliged, tucking his feet up on the couch.

Very few records of the old Jedi order survived the purge, but Luke had pieced together enough to know that romantic partnerships were forbidden. Sources varied on whether that prohibition included sex, but it seemed safe to assume that it was discouraged.

Luke was beginning to understand why. Even without sex, there was something undeniably powerful about the full, focused affection of another being. Dyrk exhaled, and he could feel the tension easing out of him, the way his thoughts softened and slipped down to more a subconscious level. It was entirely too tempting to fall asleep like this, immersed in the warmth and solidness of his companion.

Maybe in the more organized structure of the temple, it was necessary to forbid outside attachments. But was it necessary now? Could a relationship threaten his connection to the Force?

It didn't feel right. Maybe if his partner resented his path, but Dyrk would never ask him to give up being a Jedi. Because he was a respectful and considerate person, certainly, but also because it really turned him on.

Even now, he could feel a slight increase in the tempo of his breathing and the heat that permeated his thoughts. It was easy to slip between them like sheets, to be surrounded by adoration and want. In Dyrk's mind, their position was the same, but both were naked, and Luke was stroking Dyrk's cock.

He could feel the dryness of the other man's mouth just like it was his own. He could feel the hand on his cock, just the way he liked it, only since these were Dyrk's feelings, it was the way _Dyrk_ liked it, and it was Dyrk's arousal that echoed in his own body.

In that strange, disembodied place, Dyrk turned towards him, his mouth hungrily seeking his, pressing him into the back of the couch. His hand sought out Luke's erection, holding it in place so he could rub his own against it.

Luke had always assumed that sex between two people involved some kind of penetration, but it was easy to see how this could provide the same release. Certainly in Dyrk's mind it was pleasurable, a potent mix of memory and fantasy adding detail to the encounter. Dyrk had _feelings_ about his eyes and his lips and the light hair on his forearms. He also had feelings about things he hadn't seen, but could still imagine in graphic detail.

And since this was his imagination, Luke was flushed and panting, pressing his body closer and moving his hips to keep the friction going between them. " _Osik_ ," Dyrk groaned, his hand grasping Luke's hip. "That's it. You want to come now? It's better like this. Better than the shower, or some quick and dirty release before you fall asleep. I can make you come so hard you'll think your brain melted." His hand moved down to Luke's cock, his fingers lightly stroking his balls. "Just say the magic word, Jedi."

Luke knew the word. _Gedet'ye_. Please. He waited, but the fantasy version of himself didn't say it. In fact, the whole scene cooled and dissolved, leaving only a faint thrum of frustration in an otherwise empty room. Luke lifted his head, confused. Dyrk's eyes were closed, his expression placid.

"You did that on purpose."

He didn't open his eyes, but the corners of his mouth curled upward. "No one forced you into my head, Jedi." He patted his chest again in invitation. Luke laid his head back down, this time focusing solely on the steady throb of Dyrk's heart beneath his cheek.


	6. Chapter 6

Thanks to **ShouldIGetOutandPush** for coming to my rescue and offering to beta this fic. :)

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"It's not about virtue," Luke said. "You know that, right?"

Dyrk looked at him for a moment, then held up one finger and picked up his cup of caf. Luke watched while he took a long, slow drink, and then set it down on the table. "Right," he said, reaching for the caf pot. "What's not about virtue?"

Luke wished he hadn't started this conversation. They were having breakfast in his tiny kitchen and it was quiet and comfortable until now. He toyed with his fork, trying to put it as simply as he could. "I was thinking about what you said last night, about my 'virtue'. I know you were joking, but I just need you to know that it's not about virtue. I don't think that having sex with you would be immoral in some way, or that you're some _sleemo_ just trying to get into my pants."

"Of course not. Although when you put it like that…"The Mandalorian gave him a playful grin and refilled his cup. "Anyway, didn't you tell me that old Jedi were celibate?"

"I don't know if they were or not," Luke admitted. "I mean obviously not all of them were, my father was a Jedi. But his marriage to my mother was a secret. Some of the older people in the Alliance told me that only the temple Jedi were really strict about those rules, and there were other orders where Jedi could marry or have romantic partnerships."

"I guess it's kind of up to you now, isn't it?"

"I'm not sure it should be." Luke frowned down at the remains of his breakfast for a minute before his attention drifted to Dyrk's helmet, resting on the kitchen counter. "One of the Mandalorians I met on Concord Dawn told me that there were rumors of a secret affair between Obi-Wan Kenobi and the Duchess of Mandalore."

"Yeah? She died before I was born. I don't really know much about her."

"What I really want is to form a new Jedi Order, but most of the time I feel like I'm trying to assemble a hyperdrive blindfolded." Luke pushed his plate aside and rested his chin on his folded arms. "If Obi-Wan and Yoda escaped the purge, there could be other Jedi out there, but I can't get the senate to approve funding for a galaxy-wide search. And Leia won't help me," he continued bitterly, "because her _husband_ has her convinced that the old Jedi Order was corrupt and useless."

"There might be some personal bias there. They did behead his father." Dyrk picked up a piece of bread crust from Luke's plate and popped it in his mouth.

Luke stared at him. "What?"

"His dad was Jango Fett. He's a legend in the Mandalore system. He fought the Death Watch. He fought the Jedi. He was the _Mand'alor_ for a number of years before he went off to Kamino and spawned a clone army. The Jedi surrounded him on Geonosis and forced him to surrender. Then they cut off his head."

"They killed him _after_ he surrendered?"

"That's what I heard." Dyrk reached for his plate again. "Can I say something? You don't eat your crusts. It's very cute but very wasteful."

"The bread I grew up on didn't have a crust."

"It's all right, I'll eat it for you." He crunched down the last of it and took another sip of caf. "Personally, I think you're better off without dragging the senate into it."

"Why?"

"Soldiers and government agents can't go places that, say, a jedi and a mercenary can."

Luke straightened. "You want to help me?"

" _Osik_ , yes."

"Are you sure?"

"I told you, all Mandalorians hunt." Dyrk smiled at him and put down his cup. "Sounds like fun." "But you have work. _Paying_ work."

"This week, yeah. But next week? I'm free. Just comm me with the when and where, and we'll start searching."

"That's...very generous of you."

Dyrk pushed back from the table with a wicked grin. "I'm only doing it to get into your pants."

Luke laughed, and when Dyrk leaned over the table to kiss him he put his hand on the other man's cheek and kissed him back.

"And I hope it doesn't make me a _sleemo_ , but I am going to think about you in the shower."

"I'm fine with that." Something occurred to him. "I could...take my shirt off, if that would…"

"Sure." Dryk folded his arms over his chest. "Why don't you do that?"

Luke was sure his cheeks were red, but he grabbed the back of his shirt and pulled it over his head before self-consciousness got the better of him.

Dyrk didn't move, but he didn't take his eyes off Luke either. " _Haar'chak_. You want to feel it?"

"I can feel it." There was a charge in the air around them, a pulsing energy that arced through Luke's senses.

"Not like that, Jedi. With your hand."

Luke glanced at the bulge in the front of Dyrk's sleeping pants. "Would that make it better for you?"

The Mandalorian shrugged. "You're going to be doing a lot more than that in the shower. I'm offering to let you test the waters. See if it does anything for you."

After a moment of indecision, Luke stood up and put his hand over the other man's groin. Dyrk was obviously trying not to react, but he could feel the way his arousal spiked upward, both through the Force and against the flat of his palm. "It _will_ make it better for you," Luke said, letting his fingers trace the hard line of Dyrk's shaft through the thin fabric. "And that's what I want."

Dyrk swallowed, and his eyes closed briefly as he pressed into Luke's touch. When he opened his eyes, Luke dropped his hand, feeling oddly powerful. "You could…" Dyrk's voice was unsteady. "You could stop by. Peek into my head, I mean. I'll show you something new."

"Not today. But you enjoy." Feeling bolder, Luke kissed him again, and Dyrk accepted the benediction without protest. He gave Luke one last heated look and retreated to the 'fresher. Luke listened as the water turned on. The warmth of the other man still lingered, the echos of that pulsing energy running through his veins.

Dyrk was so nice to him. So helpful and patient. He stood there for a moment, then slowly drew in a breath and went to collect the plates and utensils from the table. He had a week to come up with a starting location for their search and not much more than wild rumors to go on, but he still felt more optimistic than he had in weeks.


	7. Chapter 7

"Coming or going?"

"Going," Luke told the docking agent. He folded his arms under his long dark robe, taking note of all the other ships waiting to depart from Kalmirk "How long will it be?"

The man shrugged and scratched his broad neck. "Three, four hours."

Luke gave Dyrk an exasperated look, and the other man took a step closer to the agent, giving him the full effect of his Mandalorian armor and helmet. The agent gave him a surly glare and turned his attention back to the datapad in his hand. "Call off your merc," he told Luke. "You'll get gone when you get gone." He turned and walked away.

"Can't you just do the-" Dyrk waved his hand. "'You _will_ let us leave immediately.'"

Luke smiled and shook his head. "It doesn't seem right to use it to cut in line."

" _Haar'chak_. Well, might as well go back aboard the ship." Dyrk touched his arm, and Luke turned to follow him before he caught a glimpse of a familiar silhouette.

"Han?" He strode forward as a tall man and a Wookiee separated from the crowd. "Han! Chewie!"

"Luke!" Han grabbed him a hug. "What the hell are you doing on this trash heap?"

"Trying to leave," Luke said as they parted. "We were following on some old intel about a Jedi who fled here during the Clone Wars. But it turned out to be a dead end."

"We?" Han's eyes went over Luke's shoulder with an assessing look. "That guy's with you?"

"He's a friend." Luke motioned to Dyrk. "Dyrk Veet, this is Han Solo and Chewbacca."

Dyrk removed his helmet and the two men shook hands, but Luke thought there was an odd sort of tension in the air. Dyrk seemed to be standing taller, and it seemed like he was applying slightly more force than necessary in a handshake. And Han was certainly not backing down, his grip was just as tight and he didn't take his eyes off Dyrk when he spoke to Luke. "A Mandalorian, huh? Her Worship must be rubbing off on you. How is she?"

"Fine. You know how she is."

"Yeah." A smile pulled at Han's mouth before he cleared his throat and shifted. "The anniversary of Endor was last month, and I didn't hear anything from her. I guess the senate's been keeping her busy."

"She's been spending a lot more time on Mandalore lately," Dyrk offered. "With her husband." Luke tried to give him a warning look, but it was too late.

"Husband? She's _married_?" Han looked from Dyrk to Luke as if there was a punchline coming. "Leia's married."

Luke nodded, reluctantly. Chewie gave a growl of surprise.

"And so, what, I don't even get an invitation to the wedding?"

"There wasn't really a wedding."

Han was clearly wrestling with the desire to know and the simultaneous desire to avoid asking. "Do I know the lucky son of a bitch?"

Luke grimaced in response, and Han looked away. " _Kriffin_ ' hell. There's fucking an asshole to work out your daddy issues and then there's marrying a fucking asshole. What the hell happened? Is he after her money or something?"

"I don't think so."

"There has to be something," Han insisted. "I mean, given that he's a soulless, scum-sucking killer-for-hire...it's not like they have anything in common."

Dyrk gave a half-laugh, half-snort. "Well, they might have one thing in common." He put his gloved hand up to his stomach and affected a round shape.

The silence felt deafening, even in a busy spaceport. Luke stared at Dyrk, unable to even process the thought. It couldn't be true. Leia couldn't hide something like that from him. "What are you talking about? Where did you hear that?"

Dyrk shrugged. "I've heard it in every dock port and tapcafe in the Mandalore system. The Senator has been throwing up, missing meetings...and there's the way it happened. One week they're split up and the next week they're married…" He held up his fingers in illustration. "One and one makes two, except when it makes three."

"It's not true," Luke insisted. "It can't be."

"It doesn't sound like Leia," Han said, then grimaced. "But then again…" He spread his hands, and Chewie made an unhappy sound.

The overhead speaker screeched as it cut on. "Vessel 7522, please initiate take off procedures."

"That's us," Dyrk said. Luke nodded and turned back to Han, wishing that they weren't parting like this.

"It was...really good to see you. You too, Chewie."

"Yeah." Han gave him a wry half-smile and moved back towards the spaceport entrance with his first mate.

Luke followed Dyrk back to his ship, trailing behind the Mandalorian as he thumped enthusiastically into the pilot's seat.

"Why didn't you say anything before? About the rumors?"

"I don't know. I guess I thought it must be a secret."

"Then why bring it up with Han?"

"Don't know. I wasn't thinking." Dyrk busied himself at the console, warming up the engines.

"You're lying."

The Mandalorian ducked his head, his smile sheepish. "All right. I thought it would be funny. You know me, Luke. I can't resist stirring up _osik_."

"You didn't have to mention she was married either. You did it on purpose, to throw it in Han's face. Why?" But almost as soon as he said it, he knew. "You're _jealous_?"

Dyrk winced and looked away. "I'm a petty _shabuir_ , all right?"

"Why are you jealous?"

"The way you talk about him, I just thought maybe…"

"What?"

"You said he was only person you could talk to. He's a good-looking guy. You never thought about it?"

"Han's my friend."

"So am I," Dyrk reminded him. "According to you. And you've felt up my dick."

Luke could feel his cheeks burning. "That's different."

"Is it?" The Mandalorian stared at him intently. "Does it _feel_ different to you?"

"Of course it does." Luke put his hand on the other man's shoulder, trying to reassure him. That seemed too impersonal, so he moved his hand up to Dyrk's head, touching the soft bristle of hair on the back of his neck. "I...I should have said you were my boyfriend. I'm sorry. I'm just not used to this-"

Dyrk stood abruptly and kissed him, crushing Luke's mouth with his own. His hands went under Luke's robe, pressing into his waist and then sliding lower over the curve of his ass. One kiss became two, and then three, and his hands kept moving. They went up Luke's chest, drawing his shirt up just enough that he felt the rasp of Dyrk's glove against his skin. It was an interesting sensation. Luke kind of liked it. But when his hands came back down they stopped at his belt, and Luke knew he was waiting for permission.

"You can-"

The console beeped, and they both jerked. Dyrk broke away with a shaky laugh and slid back into the pilot's seat. "We're cleared for takeoff."

Luke strapped into the co-pilot's seat. "Ready."

Dyrk held his gaze for a moment, heat simmering in his eyes. Then he turned his attention back to the ship, moving the ignition lever forward. "Where to next, Jedi?"


	8. Chapter 8

Luke heard the house communicator buzzing the moment he stepped out of the shower. He quickly wrapped a towel around his waist and went to check the ID. He hesitated a moment, then hit the receive button as he dropped into the chair in front of the recorder. "Hey."

A holographic image of Leia flickered and held. She was sitting on a bench that Luke recognized. Her house in Keldabe had a little garden behind it, with a decorative fish pond. "Luke." She straightened, her hands in her lap. "I'm sorry for what I said before I left. I lost my temper."

"I'm sorry too. I was…" he paused, searching for the right word. "...A real _shabuir_."

His sister stared at him for a second, then laughed. "Did I say that? I'm sorry. I must have really been hot if was swearing at you in _mando'a_. You're not a _shabuir_ , Luke. You're my brother and I love you."

"I love you too." Even across the galaxy he could feel the bond between them, and it always comforted him. "How are you? Still throwing up?"

"Still throwing up. Still exhausted. Still running to the 'fresher every thirty minutes. It's every bit as weird and uncomfortable as everyone says."

"Well, you looked good."

"Thanks."

"I ran into Han and Chewie a few weeks ago."

"Oh? Where?"

"Some backwater spaceport. He asked about you."

Leia looked away, a wry smile on her face. "That must have been awkward."

"You have no idea." Luke paused. "He still loves you."

His sister adjusted the white skirt of her long gown before looking up. "I think part of me will always love him. Not the same way I once did, but I'll always care about him and want him to be happy. Some people in your life will always be special."

"Do you ever think-"

"Of course I do. But I'm not sorry it ended. Look where I am now. I'm back in the senate, doing what I love, and I have a home, and people who stand behind me. I'm happy here. I'm happier than one person could ever make me."

The communicator buzzed again, and Luke glanced to one side. "Oh. I have another transmission coming in, it's-" He stopped. He'd wanted to tell her about Dyrk in person, but their visit quickly spiraled out of control. If he said "it's my boyfriend" now, he would spend the next hour explaining it. "I have to go," he said instead.

"All right. Take care, Luke."

"You, too."

He ended the transmission and put Dyrk through. He was in the cockpit of his ship, his feet up, a bottle of ale in his hand. " _Osik_ , are you naked? Oh wait, I see the towel. _Haar'chak,_ you're almost naked. I'm going to need about ten more of these." He took another swig of ale. "How are you, Jedi?"

"Sober, unlike some people."

Dyrk grinned at him. "It's been a long week. You wouldn't believe this job I just did. Eight days underground, crawling through sewer pipes, planting sensors for glitterstim packets. They wrap them with a float and use the sewage lines to get them into detention facilities."

"Ew."

"Yeah. So anyway, I showered four times and went to a sauna, and now all that's left to do is to get really _kriffin'_ drunk. How was _your_ week?"

"Leia came to visit me."

"Yeah? Good visit?" When he didn't say anything, Dyrk took another drink. "No?"

"You were right. She's pregnant."

" _Osik_. So that's why they got married like that?"

"No. She says she didn't know."

Dyrk gave that a moment of thought. "There are times when I feel really lucky. You know what we never have to worry about?"

"Yeah."

"Not that we've really done anything that could result in it, even if one of us had the equipment." His voice dropped an octave. "Speaking of, what we did on the way back from Kalmirk? I'd like to do that again. Soon."

Luke looked away, heat rising up his neck as he remembered his fingers digging into the co-pilot's chair and the sound of his own harsh breathing in his ears. "We could do that."

"You liked it, right? It felt good?"

"Yeah. I mean, obviously I…" He mimed an explosion with his fingers, and Dyrk started laughing. "I _came_ ," Luke corrected himself self-consciously. "And it was great. A little messy, but great."

"I did my best to clean up."

"You did." Luke shifted in his seat, thinking about Dyrk's warm tongue on his stomach. "Does it actually taste good?"

"It doesn't taste like it looks. It looks sweet, doesn't it? Like a sugar glaze. It doesn't taste like that. Most of the time it's a little salty. But when I'm licking it off of you, it's not really about how it tastes, it's about how that makes you _feel_."

He remembered that too. Powerful...and helpless. He shivered.

"Yeah. That's the feeling." Dyrk leaned back in his chair and finished off the last of his ale, his eyes half-shut. "So. I have a few days off. You get any new leads?"

"Not really. I've been a little distracted."

"I talked to my aunt this week. My mom's older sister? She has a shipping company in Keldabe. She said there was a Jedi who deserted during the Clone Wars and took up armor on Mandalore, and I'm thinking there's bound to be some more like that. Maybe if we could try military records-"

"On Mandalore?" Luke sat up. "Did she give you a name?"

"She didn't say, but I'm sure she knows. Can't get much by her. Why?"

"Comm her and get a name. We can rendezvous in Keldabe."

"Ehhhhh…" Dyrk tilted his head to one side and grimaced. "I don't think that's a good idea."

"Why not? It's a lead. It's a _good_ lead."

"When someone takes up armor, their past is gone. We call it _cin vhetin_. Like a white field. A new start."

"I won't try to recruit them, I just want to ask some questions."

"Sorry. No."

Luke leaned forward. "I'll stand up and drop this towel if you'll get me the name."

Dyrk raised his eyebrows. "That's bribery," he said, a low, rough edge in his voice. "I would have thought a Jedi would be above such things."

"Well, I'm not. I'm desperate."

"Desperate? As in 'I'll do anything?'" Dyrk dropped his feet to the floor and unbuckled his belt. "Because that's a game I'm willing to play."

"And then you'll comm your aunt?"

Dyrk stilled. "Luke, I can't give you the name. My aunt would say the same thing. It's in the past. _Cin vhetin_."

His mind jumped back to Leia in her new home, her long white skirt spread over the bench. Luke ran his fingers through his damp hair, his fingers digging into the back of his neck. "The past is all I have. You said you'd help me."

"I am, you little _di'kut_. At the moment I'm trying to help you get off."

"Did I _say_ I wanted to get off?" Frustrated, Luke folded his arms over his chest and sat back in his chair. "You don't care what I want. Everything is always about sex with you."

Dyrk sat up and leaned forward, a fierce look in his eyes. "Say that again, Jedi, because I swear you just accused me of only caring about sex in a relationship where one _kriffing_ handjob is our _entire_ sexual history." His hand scrubbed over his beard. "And _osik_ , I could have gotten laid fifty times over in the amount of time it took me to get _that_."

Luke could feel anger rising up in him, no matter how much he tried to fight it. _Anger leads to hate_. _Hate leads to suffering_. "If that's what you want," he said coldly. "I'm not stopping you. Go get laid." He slapped his hand down on the transmitter and Dyrk's image vanished.

Almost immediately the system beeped and the indicator lit up with Dyrk's code, but Luke closed his eyes, shutting it out. _Let go of your anger. Feel the force…_

Maybe _this_ was why the old Jedi order disavowed relationships. Affection was a powerful feeling. But so was hurt.


	9. Chapter 9

For three days Dyrk sent messages and comms, and Luke ignored them all. He didn't plan to let it go on so long, but every time his hand moved to the receive button he had to fight back the anger that welled up inside of him.

 _Our entire sexual history is one kriffing handjob. And I could have gotten laid fifty times over in the amount of time it took me to get that._

He could still hear the resentment in the other man's voice, the frustration.

Luke decided that he was right from the beginning, back when he was still thinking clearly. They wanted different things. Luke had a path in front of him, a sacred duty. But it was just a game to Dyrk, one that he was happy to play as long as Luke was doling out sexual favors and it didn't cost him anything.

He meditated and found peace, at least for a time. He hoped for a sign, some words of wisdom, but the voices he sometimes heard through the Force were silent. Perhaps this was how they voiced their disapproval that a Jedi could be so desperate for companionship.

On the fourth day, a single message came in from an anonymous ID. No words, just coordinates. When Luke ran it through the navi system, the location code was for the Mandalore system.

 _There was a Jedi who deserted during the Clone Wars and took up armor on Mandalore..._

Was this an apology? He started to comm Dyrk and then stopped. Dyrk had to be the source of the message, and yet he sent it anonymously. Maybe he was asking to be excluded so that the information couldn't be traced back to his aunt.

Luke comm'd his sister instead. Leia was preparing to leave Keldabe for a series of meetings with clan leaders, but she gave him the entry code to her house and access to a speeder bike.

The coordinates took him to a remote outpost a full day's ride from Keldabe, a tiny blip on his map that denoted a trading post and a tapcafe. He arrived just before sunset. The trading post was closing and the tapcafe was doing brisk business. The customers were a mixture of human and not, some in armor and some without. Farmers and traders and mercenaries. Remembering his last trip into the more rural regions of the Mandalore system, Luke left behind his robes. His lightsaber was hidden beneath his long coat.

He followed a group of women in Mandalorian armor as they entered the cafe, trying to stay unnoticed. He couldn't sense anything, but a trained force-user would know how to shield themselves.

"Hello, Jedi."

Luke turned swiftly. Dyrk was waiting for him just inside the door, clearly pleased with his ambush.

"What-" Luke said, but then it hit him. "You tricked me."

"Right. See what happens when you're a pissy baby who doesn't return my messages?" He took Luke's arm and motioned to a table in the back. "Come with me. I've got a Mandalorian ale with your name on it."

"Drink it yourself," Luke retorted, pulling his arm away. He took a step back and almost collided with a dark-haired man in Mandalorian armor. "Oh. Sorry." He felt an unnerving jolt when he looked up at the man's face. He looked like Boba Fett. Not exactly like him, his skin was lighter and his nose was different, but enough that they could easily be related.

"This barve bothering you?" The man asked, his eyes on Dyrk.

"Uh, no."

He looked Luke over with brown eyes that were disturbingly familiar. Two other Mandalorians in armor and helmets appeared behind him, loitering just close enough to send a message. "I'm Kad Skirata. And you are?"

"Luke."

"Luke. You're sure everything's all right?"

"Yeah."

"He's with me." Dyrk put his hand at his waist, and Kad Skirata's gaze shifted back to him.

"You're Brana Ohi's son."

"Nephew."

"You should be nicer to your man."

"You should go fuck yourself. This is none of your business."

The smile that turned up Kad's mouth came nowhere close to his eyes. " _Copaani mirshmure'cye, vod_?"

" _Ne shab'rud'ni,_ Skirata."

Kad raised a single eyebrow. He looked at them both for a second more, then nodded and turned back to the bar with his men.

Luke followed Dyrk back to his table and sat down, keeping his voice low. "Do you know that guy?"

"I know his reputation." Dyrk picked up his ale and took a long drink. "In this sector, you should think twice about messing with any Skirata, but especially _that_ one."

"Really? Because it looked to me like you were trying to pick a fight with him."

"Well, I have a Jedi on my side." He looked at Luke, his eyes warm and little sheepish, and Luke was surprised by how much he wanted to fall into that warmth. All at once the anger and the hurt of a few days ago seemed like a distant memory.

He took a sip from his own ale to cover for his confusion. "He...uh…" He deliberately didn't look toward the bar. "Did something about him seem familiar to you? Something about his face…?"

Dyrk frowned a moment. "Oh. That. Clan Skirata picked up some deserters during the Clone War. Kad's daddy was probably one of them."

"Oh." He hesitated. "So...now what?"

Dyrk leaned forward. "I don't _kriffing_ know, that's why we're here. Talk to me. Is this it? Are we done?"

He remembered all of the good reasons why he should separate himself from this relationship, but they just didn't seem that important now that Dyrk was sitting across from him. "...No."

"I can't help you find that old Jedi."

"I know."

"You do?"

"Yeah." Luke looked down, rubbing his fingers over the scarred surface of the table. "I don't like it...but it's not really about that. It just...felt like you didn't care. You just wanted to talk dirty, and this is _important_. I need you to understand that."

Dyrk touched his hand. "Fair enough. I wasn't listening. That's on me. But the next time I do something to make you angry, can you please just tell me what I did? Scream it at me, if you have to."

"I can't." Luke pulled his hand away. "I can't give into anger. Anger is the path to the dark side."

"But you can't really expect to-" Dyrk scowled and leaned over the table. "How exactly is that supposed to work? You're human, last time I checked. You're going to get mad now and then."

"Maybe it doesn't work. Maybe that's why I can't-" He looked around, aware of the public setting. "Can we go somewhere else to talk about this? Maybe head back to Keldabe?"

"Sure. As it happens, I'm not really eager to stay overnight in this mudhole." Dyrk finished off his ale and pulled a credit chit out of his belt. "We could be back in town by oh-four, if we make good time."

* * *

When Luke returned to Coruscant several days later, there was a message waiting for him at his apartment. It was a recording, transmitted from an ID he didn't recognize.

As soon as it started Luke saw the front hallway of his sister's house on Mandalore and grimaced. It should have occurred to him that there might be an internal security cam. Or that the feed might be sent to someone who also claimed that house as their residence.

He watched with resignation as he walked Dyrk to the front door, and Dyrk kissed him goodbye. It was a full-bodied embrace that looked much dirtier than it felt at the time. He saw his hands, one on Dyrk's neck and the other on his back, and the way he pressed closer to the other man. "I'll comm you tomorrow," Luke promised when they parted, and Dyrk cupped his cheek in response.

"Miss you already, Jedi."

The recording ended. Luke checked the message again, but there was no attached note. There were also no communications from Leia, so he could only assume that Fett hadn't told her. His fingers tapped restlessly on the comm casing. Was it possible that there were other cams in the house? Maybe in the sitting area? They hadn't really done anything besides eat take-out on the couch and fall asleep. A few hours later Dyrk helped him tidy up and left, and that was that. Everything was fine. No one was angry.

He should tell Leia.

For a few minutes he sat there, composing the message in his head. It made sense to tell her. She would be surprised, but she would be happy for him. She might even be relieved that he had someone in his life. She wouldn't have to worry about him as much. It would free her to focus on her new life.

He turned his head, looking towards recorder, but his hands didn't move. After a few seconds, he chose to reply to Fett with a simple typed message.

GO FUCK YOURSELF.

He wasn't angry. But as Dyrk said, he _was_ human.

* * *

 **Mando'a Translations**

 _Copaani mirshmure'cye, vod -_ Are you looking to get smacked, mate?

 _Ne shab'rud'ni_ \- You don't want to mess with me


	10. Chapter 10

"I took a holovid. Do you want to see it?"

Dyrk smirked, his eyes still shut. "Show me yours and I'll show you mine."

"Show me yours first."

"It's in my _besbe_." Dyrk yawned and rolled toward the edge of the bed, reaching for his discarded armor.

"What's that mean?" Luke asked, making a halfhearted attempt to keep Dyrk from taking the blankets with him.

"In this case it means my stash bag. Could be armor though. Or tools." Dyrk rolled back with a small holoplayer in his hand. "Here. They were born two days ago. No other twins in the family, not on our side, and not on Kiva's. That's Ida and that's Rolka."

"Cute."

"It's about time I'm an uncle," Dyrk grunted. "Vik and Kiva have been married for almost ten years. So? Let's see yours."

Luke retrieved his comm device and sat up, sitting cross-legged on the bed. "I recorded this when he was about twelve days old." The projection flickered to life. "His name is Jonah."

"Jonah. Like those big trees on Mandalore?"

"I don't know. Maybe. Fett picked it. I think Leia was just glad it wasn't 'Jango.'" The recording showed his nephew sleeping peacefully in his mother's arms. Jonah had his father's coloring and a full head of dark curls. The comm beeped and he jerked and scowled, drawing his tiny fists up as if he was preparing to fight.

Dyrk laughed. " _Haar'chak_. He's all Fett, isn't he? Don't worry. I'm sure he'll take after his mother in other ways."

Luke turned the device off and dropped it in his lap. "He does take after Leia in one way," he said grimly. "The Force is strong in him."

"That's bad?"

"They'll never let me train him. Fett would die first, and Leia...she's afraid of what could happen."

"Sorry." Dyrk put his hand on his knee, his thumb rubbing lightly through Luke's sleeping pants.

"I just wish I could…" Luke lay down again, facing the other man. "I don't know."

"Give it time. You can't train a baby anyway." Dyrk transferred his hand to Luke's cheek. "How many nights has it been now?"

"How many nights since what?"

"Since you let me sleep in your bed."

"I don't know. There was the first time, and then the two days you were back from the outer rim, and then twice last month. Six, maybe, including last night?"

"Exactly six." He leaned in and gave Luke a light kiss.

It started as a concession. Luke was determined to avoid any arguments that might lead to feelings of anger, but it turned out that trying to avoid a fight was just as likely to cause one. They had a disagreement about something, and Luke threatened to leave, as he often did, and Dyrk backed down and apologized, as he often did.

"It's not important," he'd insisted with a forced smile. But Luke could feel the other man's frustration, gnawing at him with sharp teeth. He sighed.

"Can we just go to bed?"

"Sure we can." Dyrk sank down onto the couch and ran his hand over his short hair.

"I meant...in there." Luke gestured towards the bedroom.

Dyrk blinked up at him. "In your bed? With you?"

"Yeah."

"You're sure about that?"

"I'm sure."

It worked. Dyrk was as pleased as a child with a present and the disagreement was forgotten. They talked, they cuddled, they slept and woke up. It was far more comfortable than Luke had anticipated.

He especially liked this time in the mornings, the warmth, the drowsy intimacy. Dyrk's hand moved down his arm and found a new resting place at his hip. "And you know how I've been a model of restraint for those six nights?"

"You have?"

Dyrk ducked his head and nuzzled Luke's bare chest. His stubble scraped against his skin as he moved down, pressing his mouth against Luke's stomach.

"Hey," Luke said, bemused. "Where are you going?"

"Somewhere really good, if you'll let me."

Arousal had an ebb and flow in the force, like a stream of running water. Luke seldom felt it on his own, but through Dyrk he could feel the pull of the current. He could drift into it and let it wash over and around him.

Dyrk pulled the waistband of his pants down just slightly and licked his abdomen. "Just lay back."

Nervousness cut in through the flow, tightening his stomach and making his mouth dry. "And then what?"

"And then I swallow that thick cock of yours," Dyrk replied, his voice low and rough. He cupped the curve of Luke's ass. "And then if it's up to me, maybe we could take a shower together." His fingers slipped into the crevice between his cheeks and Luke jerked, startled. "Maybe grab some lube and try a little of that. And then maybe you could slick up your hand and touch me. By that point you could probably slap my dick and make me come." Luke snorted, and Dyrk kissed his hip. "That's a _joke_. Don't slap my dick."

"And then what?"

Dyrk hummed thoughtfully. "Breakfast, probably. Most important meal of the _kriffing_ day."

"Maybe we should do that first."

"You're only saying that because you've never had a blowjob before." He started to ease down Luke's pants, but a sharp chirp made them both jump.

"Oh. That's my-" Luke twisted, trying to locate his commlink in the sheets.

" _Haar'chak_ ," Dyrk sat up a little. "I felt it vibrate. Where is it?"

It chirped again, and Luke finally got his hands on it. "It's Leia. I should-"

Dyrk exhaled and rolled to the opposite edge of the bed. "Yeah. Go ahead."

Luke sat up on the edge of the bed and pushed the receive button. "Leia."

"Luke." She blinked at him, then looked to one side. "I thought you'd be up by now. Late night last night?"

"A friend dropped by. Is everything okay?" Everything was not okay. He could feel it. He could see it in her posture, in the way her hands were clutched together.

"Do you want to say 'hi' to Jonah?"

"Sure."

She moved the recorder. "Jonah, look, it's Uncle Luke."

His nephew gave his mother a blank look from his infant seat. Luke waved anyway. "Hi Jonah."

Leia turned the recorder back towards herself. "Can you talk? I'm not...interrupting anything?"

"No, now is fine." Out of the corner of his eye he saw Dyrk roll out of bed on the opposite side and duck into the kitchen.

"I know we haven't talked much since Jonah was born, but I've been doing a lot of thinking. It turns out I have a lot of time to think when I'm up three times a night feeding him." She gave her son an exasperated look. "Anyway…I know I said I didn't want anything to do with the Force, but…" She paused, and Luke's heart skipped a beat. "I think I'm ready to know more. I _need_ to know more."

He couldn't speak. It was all rushing through his mind too quickly. Why? And How? And more importantly, what would the first step be?

"I remember you told me about Dagobah. About training there. I was thinking…"

"Yes." He seized on it immediately. "We can go to Dagobah. But what about Jonah?"

"Boba can keep him on the ship. I'll just have to take a nursing break every three hours or so."

He wasn't exactly thrilled that the bounty hunter would be coming along. "So, Fett...he's…"

"I haven't told him yet." Her lips pressed together into a thin line and she glanced to one side, suggesting that her husband wasn't far away. "But I will."

"You don't have to," Luke said carefully. "Tell him you're going to visit me. Bring Threepio to watch Jonah."

Leia gave him a rueful smile. "I don't think you understand how my marriage works."

Luke stiffened. "He can't stop you. I'll come get you, I-"

"No, Luke." She shook her head. "That's not what I meant." She paused and then sighed heavily. "Lying about it would only twist the knife."

"Lying about what?" The voice came from outside of the recorder's range, but Leia looked up sharply.

"Luke, I have to go," she said brightly. "I have to have some words with my husband about making some godsdamn noise when he walks."

The recorder cut off. Luke sat there for a few minutes, letting it all sink in. When he stood, Dyrk was leaning on the door frame with a cup of caf in hand.

"You're leaving, aren't you?"

"I have to." Luke replied, grabbing for his clothes. "She wants to go to Dagobah. She's _ready_." He had to move fast, before Fett could talk her out of it. "I'm sorry. I'll make it up to you when I get back."

"Right." Dyrk smiled tightly. "And when will that be?"

"I don't know. I'll comm you." Luke paused long enough to give him a quick kiss. "I'm really sorry." He hurried off the shower, barely registering Dyrk's muttered response.

"Whatever you need, Jedi. Just like always."


	11. Chapter 11

When Luke left Dagobah, he didn't go back to Coruscant. Instead he flew to Kuat, and took a shuttle to an apartment complex near the shipyards. When the door opened, Dyrk stood there in his shorts, his blaster in hand. "Jedi? I thought you were-"

Luke crashed into him, practically trying to kiss him and climb him at the same time. Dyrk tossed his gun aside and wrapped him up in his arms, warm and solid and everything that Luke needed. When they parted he cupped Luke's cheek, his voice a rasp. "Jedi? Are you drunk? You don't taste drunk."

He shook his head in mute denial. He didn't need alcohol. He could get drunk on this, knowing that someone loved him and wanted to be with him. "Sorry to show up like this." He stretched up to kiss Dyrk again. "I just...I want to be with you."

A rough thumb stroked his cheek. "You are with me."

"I want more. I want it to be the way you-" He stopped, struggling to put it into words. "I want to do all the things you think about. I want you inside of me. I want-" Dyrk pressed him into the wall and kissed him, swallowing all of those words with his hungry mouth.

"Sorry," he gasped when he let him go. "Just to be clear-"

"I want to do everything. I want to feel everything. I want-" Dyrk's hands were up under his shirt and Luke paused to help him remove it. "I want to know-" He was interrupted again by Dyrk's tongue in his mouth. Nervousness and excitement pulsed through his veins as Dyrk pressed eager kisses in his throat.

"What else do you want, Jedi?"

"I want you to call me Luke."

"I thought it didn't bother you." He came up for another kiss and then stopped, studying Luke's face. "Are you all right?"

"I'm _fine_. I'm great. I'm here with you. And Leia's with Fett and Jonah, and that's _fine_. She has the life she wants and that's _fine_." Dyrk gave him a wary look, and Luke shook his head and pulled him toward the rumpled bed in the corner. "Let's talk about what you want," he said, and knelt on the floor.

" _Osik_." The word came out strangled. Dyrk sat on the edge of the bed, staring at him a mixture of lust and doubt. "You sure about this?"

Luke crawled forward and ran his hands up his shins, his fingers spreading as they reached his broad thighs. "You love my mouth. You think about it all the time." The pressure seal on the front of his shorts opened easily, and Luke drew in a quick breath. It was one thing to touch Dyrk through his clothing, it was another to have a naked cock inches from his face. "It might not be as good as it is in your head. I'm not really sure how to do this."

The Mandalorian chuckled and spread his legs a little wider. "We'll keep it simple, yeah? My dick goes in your mouth. Tongue is good. Teeth are bad."

"Okay." Luke leaned in and let his lips brush against hot, smooth skin.

Dyrk's cock jumped in response. " _Kriffing_ hell." He was looking at the ceiling now, his voice pleading. Luke could feel his desire through the Force, bright and wild like a streak of lightning across the sky. The Force guided him here just as surely as it did in the cockpit of his ship, or with his lightsaber in his hand. All he had to do was relax and let it.

It was a matter of physical adjustment more than anything. He had to get used to the swollen cock filling his mouth, the taste of the salty liquid that seeped from the head.

"That's good," Dyrk told him, panting. "That's...great. Just like that. You don't have to-" His fingers combed through Luke's hair, his nails scraping a little at the back of his neck. Luke was beginning to find his rhythm now. There was something he could do with his tongue and when he did it, Dyrk made a strained noise deep in his throat.

" _Osik_ , Jedi, if you do that one more time-"

He did it again, and Dyrk's whole body stiffened and his fingers curled tight in his hair. Luke had some belated thoughts about swallowing, but he did it anyway. He wiped his mouth with his hand as Dyrk collapsed on the bed with a soft groan. Luke slowly pulled himself up and sat down on the bed beside Dyrk.

"I really do love your mouth," the other man murmured.

"I know."

"You need a drink?"

"Yeah. I can get it though. You want one?"

Dyrk nodded, his eyes still closed, and Luke went to the kitchen and located two cold bottles of ale. He opened one and drank a third of it. It was crisp and light, exactly what he needed. He returned to the bedroom and handed the other one to Dyrk. "Mandalore?"

"Your favorite." He rolled up on elbow and lifted the bottle in a toast before he drank. "So what happened on Dagobah?"

Luke sat down on the bed again, turning the bottle in his hands. "Leia said she wanted to learn the ways of the Force. I tried to do everything that Master Yoda did...but there was always something holding her back."

"Or someone?"

Luke smiled tightly and took another drink. "There's a cave there...I don't know how to explain it. I saw something there once, when I was training. A vision. Something that helped me understand what I needed to do in order to fulfill my destiny. I thought it would do the same thing for Leia."

He thought Leia would come to him, so he he waited. He thought about how Yoda must have felt, waiting for him. Hours passed, and Leia never came. He went to the cave, but she wasn't there. Finally he turned toward the clearing where Slave I rested, and even before he saw her he knew.

She was flushed and smiling, the scent of sex still lingering in the warm, damp air. She kept stealing little glances at Fett, and the bounty hunter could barely keep his eyes off of her.

Luke wanted to be angry, because she couldn't fucking _wait_? She couldn't put off sexual gratification long enough to at least talk to him?

But as he stood there, he realized it didn't matter what she had to say. It didn't matter what she saw in the cave. It wasn't about sex. She chose them. Her husband. Her son. The family she created, the one that didn't involve him. It wasn't fair to resent it, but Luke couldn't help himself. It _hurt_.

He watched Leia pick up her son, the fierce love in her eyes when she brushed her cheek against his dark curls. He understood now why the old Jedi order forbid attachment. Maybe it wasn't always wrong, but it would always be in competition.

"And?"

Dyrk was still waiting for him to continue. "She decided it wasn't her path." Luke took one last swig of ale and set his bottle down on the floor beside the bed. "But they've agreed to let me train Jonah when he's older. If he wants to."

"I'm sure he will." Dyrk started rubbing his back. "What kid doesn't want a laser sword?"

Luke drew in a long, slow breath. "Ever since I found out that Leia was my sister, I've been waiting for her. I thought she would be the missing piece, and everything else would just fall into place." Luke closed his eyes. "I can't wait any longer. This is my path. If I have to walk it alone, I will."

Dyrk's hand stilled, and Luke could feel the shift in the air, like a flame sputtering in the wind.

"Jedi…"

He twisted around to face him. "Call me Luke. Just for tonight." He reached out and touched Dyrk's cheek, stroking the scruff of his beard. There really was no way to make this easier.

The other man leaned into his palm and shut his eyes tight. When he opened them, there was suspicious shine to them, but his voice was low and steady. "So...Luke...you're staying the night?"

"If that's okay with you."

He nodded slowly. "Did you mean what you said earlier? About what you wanted to do?"

"Yeah."

Dyrk sat up and discarded his empty bottle on a side table. When he kissed him, his mouth tasted sweet and tart, and something tightened in Luke's chest.

"I'm sorry it's like this," he murmured. "I know it won't be-"

"Shut up." He smiled to take the sting out of his words, and then his voice dropped, his hand curling at the back of Luke's neck. "It's going to be _amazing_. You'll thank me when I'm done."

"I will, huh?"

"Yes. You will." Dyrk leaned in and kissed him again. "Take off the rest of your clothes and make yourself comfortable. I'll be right back."

Luke did as he asked. He laid back on the unmade bed and pushed the covers aside. Dyrk returned from the 'fresher with a small bottle with some kind of amber-colored oil. "Is that…?"

"Your new best friend," the other man told him, kneeling on the bed. He leaned down to kiss his chest, and then moved lower, his beard tickling Luke's stomach. "Just relax and remind yourself that it's going to be amazing."

Dyrk then proceeded to thoroughly illustrate the benefits of experience in the arena of blowjobs. He drew him to the edge and held him there for what seemed like hours, all the while doing incredible things to his ass. It could have ended there, with Dyrk's lips wrapped around his cock and his slick fingers buried inside of him, but it didn't.

It ended with Luke curled up on his side, his cock aching and ignored while Dyrk pressed into him. It was uncomfortable and then it wasn't, because Dyrk began to slowly jerk him off and every other thought was banished from Luke's mind. This was all that mattered. That heaving chest against his back, the gasping breaths that matched his own, the fiery climb toward orgasm. Nothing else in the galaxy existed.

By the time he spilled all over the sheets and Dyrk's hand, the other man's thrusting hardly mattered. He was floating and weightless, grasping at little bits of fire and lightning as Dyrk groaned. His thrusts came faster, rough and uneven and then he came.

Luke could feel the waves of it, the release of heat and tension inside of him. It was a strange feeling, but not a bad one. Dyrk sighed into his hair, and he heard the stutter in his breath, the way he almost said it and didn't. "Luke," he said instead. " _Cyar'ika_. That was...well...there's probably a word for it…"

Dyrk was right, as he often was. It was really one of his most annoying qualities. But Luke couldn't muster the energy to be annoyed.

They slept a little, curled up together in bed. An hour or so before dawn a little sleepy grinding had some very interesting and pleasant results, and two hours after that Dyrk got up to make caf.

"You want me to strip the bed?" Luke asked, because by the point the sheets were a little past well-used.

"Sure. Just throw them in the autowash next to the 'fresher."

He would have remade it with fresh sheets, but it turned out Dyrk only had one set. Luke took a quick shower and dressed before joining Dyrk at the table. "I feel like I should thank you."

The other man grinned at him. "I was joking about that, but I did fuck you pretty good."

Luke rolled his eyes. "Not for that. Well, not just for that. For...taking this so well."

Dyrk's smile faltered, and he took a sip of caf. "Don't give me too much credit. I thought about throwing you out and drinking myself into oblivion."

"But you didn't."

He shrugged.

"It's not you."

" _Jedi_." The word came out as a growl.

"Sorry." Luke held up his hands. "I just want to make sure you understand."

Dyrk fiddled with his cup, his eyes on the caf inside of it. "Did I ever tell you about Steev?"

"No."

"Back during the war, when the Empire... requisitioned us for labor on Mandalore, I was in a work crew with a guy named Steev. We were both seventeen at the time. Similar interests." A distant smile crossed his face. "It was like finding love in hell. Every moment we could find to be together, it kept us alive. Gave us hope.

"We were inseparable for two years, and then the war ended. Steev wanted to get married, start a family right away. That was just how he reacted to it." Dyrk exhaled slowly and tapped his fingers on the table. "Steev grew up in Keldabe. He was Mandalorian, but not... _Mando'ade_. You know what I mean by that? He didn't grow up with the armor, the clan, the _Resol'nare_. But he wanted that. He wanted a Mando husband and a Mando baby. He wanted it to be from my bloodline. His sister was a few years older than us. She said she would carry the baby for us, I just had to...do my part."

Dyrk grimaced. "I didn't want to. I really didn't want to. But it was so important to Steev, I couldn't tell him that. I just kept making excuses and putting it off. Finally he made it clear. Either I was going to commit to him and to our family, or I could walk. So I comm'd his sister and we did it. _Kriffing_ awkward, but we did it. And as soon as she left, and I knew I couldn't do it again.

"I think the real problem was that I didn't want any of it. I wasn't ready to get married, or be a dad. I loved Steev, but I knew it wasn't right. I knew if I stayed with him, I would end up hating him and myself." Dyrk raised his eyes. "I don't want to be that person in your life. I might not understand everything, but I understand that."

Luke reached across the table and took his hand. "Since the day I left Tatooine, I've had one goal, and one dream. You're the only person who ever made me want something else."

Dyrk nodded and pulled his hand away. He made a show of scratching the back of his neck, but Luke understood. It was time to go. "I know this is selfish," he said as he stood. "But I hope…" his throat tightened, and tears burned behind his eyes. "Maybe someday...we can be friends?"

"Maybe." Dyrk lifted his mug, meeting Luke's eyes over the rim. "Give it time, Jedi."


End file.
